Distance caliper



April 19%? B. MULLER DI STANCE CALIPER Filed March 21, 1945 INVEN TOR. EELH MULLE/Q,

' ATTORNEY.

Patented Apr. 8, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT 1 OFFICE I I 2,418,595 DISTANCE oALrran Bela Muller, New York, N. Y.

Application March 21, 1945, .Serial No. 583,978

1 This invention relates to measuring devices of the type which measure distances with extreme accuracy particularly distances which are not easily accessible to the present measuring devices.

An object is to provide a measuring device which has hinged together elongated plates having left and right ends, the left ends having means for contact with measurable portions of objects inaccessible to present known measuring devices, the right ends indicating the distance so contacted by the left ends which indicated distance at the right end, may be separately measured with ordinary well known measuring devices such as micrometers.

Another object is to provide a measuring device having means at theright end thereof to visibly indicate when the left end measuring contact points are in contact with the object to be measured, and means for locking the visible means in fixed positions. e

Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the specification proceeds reference being made to the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation view of my novel device.

Fig. 2 is a front elevation view of my device having the hinged plates in closed positions.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation view of my device partly in section and showing its hinged plates in open position.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation view of my device partly in section and showing the hinged plates in open position, and also showing the inner piston in locked position.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary plan view of the left end of my plates and showing a turned up end lip.

Fig. 6 is a side view of the device of Fig. 5.

A cylinder block I0, having cylinder II is suitably fastened with, for example screws I2 to right end of upper plate I3. A front slot I4 and rear slot I5 provide sliding passageway for respective front and. rear arms I6, I'l suitably mounted on piston I8. The arms I 6, H are also maintained non turnable in said slots, and it is thus seen that piston I8 is also non turnable in the cylinder. The cylindrical or other shaped piston I8 has one end [9 of coil spring 20 bearing against it. The other end 2| of the spring bears against shoulder 22 of cylinder block Ill. The spring 20 normally tends to force the piston I8 downwardly.

Threads are provided in the central portion of the piston to cooperate with, similar threads on stud 23. It is seen that the stud 23 is thus turn- 2 Claims. (Cl. 33154) ably mounted in the piston I8 and that actuated clockwise turn'of the stud, preferablybymans of knurled knob 24,advances the studs lower end 25 downward to bear against lower plate 26. A bore 2! in upper plate I3 provides passageway for the lower part of the stud while bore 2 8 in the upper part of cylinder block I!) provides passageway for the upper part of the stud. The piston 18 with its stud 23 are thus slidable in the cylinder II against the action of said spring 20.

The plates I 3, 26 are swingable about the hinge 29 or other pivotal means and are preferably permanently fastened together altho at times the pin 39 may be removable from the hinge to provide removable fastening of the plates.

I prefer to provide a spring 20 having compression force which is less than the force necessary to twist the plates so that the piston may move against the springs action before the plates will bend.

I prefer the central parts of my plates I3I, 2BI to be narrower than the end portions I321, 262.

In operation in order to measure the distance X, Fig. 4, between objects A and B the ends I32, 262 (while in the position of Figs. 1 and 2) are placed between the said objects and knob 24 is turned so that stud end 25 is moved to advance thru the stationary piston I8 to bear against plate 26 to thus space the plate 26 away from plate I3 sufficient to make ends I32, 262 contact objects A and B. At the instant of said contact the piston arm I6 is seen to begin moving upward in slot I4 which movement indicates to the operator that said contact has been made. The piston may then be locked in position, relative to the cylinder, by clockwise turn of lock stud 33 so that stud end 34 bears against the piston. The spread of 'elements I32, 262 which I prefer to conform with similar spread of the other end of the plates I3, 25 may then be related.

The respective spreads may also be proportionally measured at either the left or right end of the plates. The respective spreads may also be proportionally related. It is seen that when the piston is thus so locked, stud 23 may not be turned in clockwise direction.

It is seen that when piston I8 is not locked as above described and while elements I32, 262 contact A and B continued turn of stud 23 merely moves the piston arms I6, I! further upwards in slots I5, I6 to be thus locked at a higher place than first above described. Said continued movement of stud 23 does not, however. change the spread contact position of elements I32, 262.

At times I prefer one or both of the tip ends I 32a of elements I32, 262 to be bent upwards as in Fig. 6.

The disclosure is intended to be illustrative and not limiting.

I claim:

1. A measuring device of the class described comprising a lower and an upper elongated plate each having front and back edges and being hinged together attheir back edges, a tubular cylinder mountedon' the upper plate and having a bore, a piston slideable in the bore and having side arms, slots in the side of the cylinder for slideable mount of the piston arms there:

in whereby the piston is held against rotation in the cylinder, a spring having oneend against the cylinder and another end against the, piston and normally forcing the piston downwards, a

stud threaded through the piston and having up- 4. plate and having an inner shoulder in the tube and a bore extending downward from the shoulder, a piston slideable in the bore and having side arms, slots in the side of the cylinder for slideable mount of the piston arms therein whereby the piston is held against rotation in the cylinder, a spring having one end against the shoulder and another end against the piston and normally forcing the piston downwards, a stud threaded thru the piston and having upper andlower ends, the upper endhaving a knob and extending upwards out of the cylinder, a bore in the upper plate for passage therethru of the lower end of the stud to contact the lower plate when the stud is turnably moved downwards to move the-lower plate arcuately away from the upper plate, means to lock the piston in a selected position relative to the cylinder compris ing a stud in the cylinder wall engageable with the piston.

- BE A MULLER- REFEBENCE$ CITED Thefollowing references are ,of record -in;the

file, of this patent: I V V UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 

